Bangkok News
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Pickup truck explosion kills 2 in Bangkok
On Saturday morning, a pickup truck crashed into the barrier in the middle of a 4 lane road in Bangkok and exploded. Witnesses saw 2 men escape the vehicle, but both men got caught in the flames and died at the scene. At 6:30am on Saturday, fire engines from Thanon Chan Fire Station were called to put out a fire…
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Search launched for suspects after name changed on symbolic Bangkok bridge
An investigation has been launched into the mysterious overnight name change of a symbolic bridge in Bangkok. The name of Phibun Songkhram Bridge, at Kiak Kai intersection, near Parliament House, was bafflingly renamed Tharap Bridge on Saturday night. Sunsern Rueangrit, Dusit Thani district of Bangkok assistant director, posted the news via his Twitter account after a Bangkokian asked why there…
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Bangkok governor invites public to ‘plant a million trees’
Bangkok’s new governor Chadchart Sittipunt is continuing to voice his commitment to bettering the city. His latest move is to invite Bangkok dwellers to plant a million trees throughout the Thai capital. Chadchart said today that 700,000 of the trees have been planted so far, and officials want more people to participate. Now, 56 year old governor says that City…
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Goverment’s rough week: Minister with Covid-19, Parliament flood
This just wasn’t the Thai government’s weekend. Another minister tested positive for Covid-19, while the new Parliament complex has flooded. Again. Minister of Industry Suriya Juangroongruangkit announced today that he has tested positive for Covid-19, just days after Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul announced catching the virus. The Industry Minister is fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca and has received a…
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Proposal for telecom providers to help tidy up Bangkok cables
Bangkok officials proposed at a meeting yesterday that telecom service providers should do their part in tidying up overhead cables around the city. The proposal comes a week after a fatal fire was believed to have been caused by a transformer exploding at a 3 storey shophouse. The fire broke out in a historic market in Bangkok’s Chinatown, killing 2…
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Ups and downs: Man wins lottery then falls to his death down drain
We’ve all had days with ups and downs, but likely not so much as a Nonthaburi man who won the lottery and then encountered a fatal accident. The 56 year old man chose the number 417 and found himself holding a winning lottery ticket. He immediately went out to celebrate with drinks with his friends, but never made it home.…
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Thai taxi drivers protest against extended GrabBike deadline
Bangkok motorcycle Taxi riders and Taxi drivers today burned their orange safety vests in protest of the Transport Ministry’s decision to extend the licence of GrabBike riders for 2 more months. The company announced last week that every one of their Grab riders must register as a public transport operator and change their registration plates from white to yellow if…
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Pink and Yellow monorail lines will be in service in 2023
The lives of Bangkok commuters are about to become a lot easier after news broke yesterday that trial runs were being scheduled in October on the Pink and Yellow monorail lines. The 52.6 billion baht Pink Line is about 14% away from being finished while the 49 billion baht Yellow Line’s construction is 93% complete. Commuters will be able to…
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On top of fire this week, Bangkok’s Chinatown deals with house collapse
Bangkok’s Chinatown has had a rough week. After a fire killed 2 people in the Samphanthawong district on June 26, a house collapsed this morning in the same district. The district is located beside the Chao Phraya River. The house’s owner said the 2 storey house was built 260 years ago and was the first Chinese-style building to be built…
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Police close joints on Khao San Road for selling cannabis without a licence
Police have closed all shops selling cannabis on Khao San Road in Bangkok for operating without a license on a public road. The police told the businesses that selling cannabis wasn’t wrong, but it is illegal without permission to do so. Since cannabis was decriminalised on June 9 and removed from the Public Health Ministry’s narcotics category, cannabis shops have…
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Bangkok open-air film festival is free to moviegoers next month
Bangkok’s open-air film festival, Krung Thep Klang Plang, which means Bangkok open-air theatres, rolls out the red carpet for the whole month of July. The open-air theaters will be held at a number of different locations throughout the city, and the first event kicks off on July 7 at Laan Kon Mueng space in front of the Bangkok City Hall,…
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UPDATE: Former Special Branch Officer names police involved in illegal casino operation
UPDATE An ex-Special Branch Bureau officer has revealed the names of police involved in the operation of an illegal casino in Bangkok that was raided last Friday and denies he had any part of it. Former Pol Lt Col Santana Prayoonrat was discharged from the police service 20 years ago after obstructing officers from making arrests in regards to an…
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3 Thai political activists tried to commit suicide in prison
Bangkok Remand Prison yesterday reported that 3 Thai political activists, jailed according to the lèse majesté laws, tried to commit suicide in prison due to stress. Two male prisoners slashed their wrists with a piece of metal while a third prisoner tried to overdose on 60 paracetamol tablets. Thai human rights lawyer, Arnon Nampa, yesterday announced the news on his…
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2 Indians caught with over 100 animals at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Two Indian women were arrested by wildlife authorities at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday after 109 live wild animals were found in their luggage just before they boarded a flight back to India. 50 lizards, 20 snakes, 35 turtles, 2 white porcupines, and 2 armadillos were all found in their bags. When authorities x-rayed the women’s suitcases, they spotted the animals,…
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City chief calls for residents to check for hazards after 131 fire incidents in 2022
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has asked residents in the city to inspect their properties and the surrounding areas for potential fire hazards, to inspect the condition of their fire extinguishers, and check their fire exits. A deadly fire in Chinatown’s Sampeng Market this weekend saw 2 people die and 6 others suffer from the effects of smoke inhalation, while some residents…
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4.3 million baht seized in police raid on illegal casino
A police raid that seized 4.3 million baht from an illegal underground gambling den has sparked a bizarre war of words between the authorities and a nongovernmental organisation. More than 4.3 million baht was seized after police raided an illegal casino hidden on the underground floor of the Ayothaya Tower on Ratchadapisak Soi 18 in Huay Kwang district of Bangkok.…
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UPDATE: Owner of fire building in Bangkok Chinatown to sue electric authority
UPDATE Stall sellers and the owners of the Ratchawong Rungrueng packaging shop building, which caught fire in Bangkok’s Chinatown on Saturday, say they are going to sue the Metropolitan Electricity Authority for negligence after a broken transformer caused the blaze that killed 2 people. The faulty transformer caught fire and quickly ripped through the 3-story building on Ratchawong Road in…
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Bangkok governor dragged into Benchatkitti Park cycling spat
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has been dragged into a war of words between cyclists and parkgoers in a popular city park. Parkgoers and cyclists, who frequent Benchakitti Park, in the Klong Toey district, took to social media to voice their anger over speeding cyclists and the danger they pose by riding without due care and attention to others while speeding…
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To cushion price hikes, Bangkok PT stations will serve 25 baht curry
Price hikes are no fun for anyone, but in the Bangkok area, some groups are trying to cushion the blow of the world’s economic crisis. The Thai Restaurant Association announced today that it will launch a project tomorrow (Monday) to serve curry for 25 baht at PT filling stations across Bangkok and the surrounding area. TRA president Thaniwan Kulmongkol said…
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UPDATE: Bangkok Chinatown fire death toll jumps to 2
UPDATE The death toll has risen after the fire in Bangkok’s Chinatown this morning. While 1 person was reported dead at the Sampeng market earlier today, that number has now jumped to 2. The bodies of the man and woman killed by the blaze were reportedly burnt beyond recognition. The man is identified as 34 year old Phetduang, and the…
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Bangkok’s new governor posts video of his maskless jog
While Thailand has earned a rap for its enthusiasm over face masks, one politician in Bangkok is celebrating the country’s removal of mask requirements in open spaces. Bangkok’s new Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has posted a video of himself on a daily jog through the city- with his face uncovered. In the video, Chadchart and a bunch of friends or colleagues…
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Bangkok approves 7 places to protest under Public Assembly Act
Bangkok has announced 7 public places where people can protest under the Public Assembly Act but stipulated that protestors must inform the relevant authorities before using the venues. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt today signed a law declaration to approve the 7 public places in Bangkok. According to the statement, clarifying the specific places in Bangkok would help the city avoid…
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Passengers still required to wear face masks on BTS Skytrain
Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain operator today insisted that all passengers still have to wear a face mask on their trains and around the platform area despite an announcement on the Royal Gazette platform that face mask wearing is now voluntary in Thailand. The Royal Gazette last night surprised people in Thailand with the official announcement that wearing masks is voluntary in…
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Bangkok’s Bon Kai community fire victims provided free accommodation for a month
The National Housing Authority has offered temporary accommodation for victims of a fire at Bon Kai Community in Bangkok. The authority says residents can stay free for a month and then pay 999 baht per month after that. The fire broke out on Tuesday at the Bon Kai Community on Rama 4 Road in the Pathumwan district of Bangkok. Fortunately,…
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Motorbike rider dies in crash after argument with another rider
A motorbike rider crashed into an electric pole on a sidewalk and died after arguing with another rider on a road in Bangkok. Piyapong Suwarot got into an argument with a teenage motorbike rider, who accused the older man of cutting him off, on Pracha Uthit Road in the Tung Kru district of Bangkok. As a consequence, the 47 year…
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Prison doctor allegedly threatened to shoot his female patient
A prison doctor allegedly threatened to shoot his female patient because he does not believe in her political beliefs. Political activist, Natchanit “Baipor” Duangmusit, was jailed on May 3 after being charged on April 28 with defamation of the Thai royal family under Section 112 of the nation’s criminal code, also known as lèse majesté laws. Baipor, and another female…
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Commuters asked not to flick hair on the BTS Skytrain
Here we go again. Commuters on the BTS Skytrain with long hair have been asked to refrain from flicking their hair because there is a danger it will hit the faces of other commuters, especially during rush hours, the BTS Skytrain operator says. Several commuters complained about passengers flipping their hair on the train and, on occasion, accidentally hitting the…
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Bangkok’s plan to become the Venice of the East… again
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday met with the Federation of Thai Industries president to plan a grand project to turn the Hua Lamphong Canal into an example of the Venice of the East, an oft-mentioned nickname for Bangkok in the past. The 56 year old Chadchart met with Kriengkrai Thiennukul to discuss a solution to improving the city’s water quality,…
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Grab bike ‘taxis’ forced to get commercial licenses in Thailand
A win for ‘Win’ motorcycle taxi riders today after new rules force Grab riders into the same transportation regulations. Of course, the new rules will probably force up the prices for Grab bikes from next month when the app-based ride-hailing service will have to comply with the same rules governing ‘Win Motocy’ motorcycle taxi riders. The orange-safety-vest-clad Win drivers are…
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Man dies after being hit by SRT Dark Red Line train in Bangkok
An unidentified man was reported dead after being hit by a Dark Red Line train, of the State Railway of Thailand, between Lak Hok and Don Mueng Stations. The train operator, SRT Electrified Train Company Limited, insisted that the man wasn’t a passenger and sneaked into the restricted area for some other unknown reason. The official Facebook page of the…
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